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Anu facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Anu (also called An) was a very important sky god in Sumerian mythology. Imagine him as the king of the gods! He was known as the god of the heavens and the lord of the constellations (groups of stars).

People in ancient Sumer and Babylonia believed Anu lived in the highest parts of the sky. They thought he could judge people who had done wrong things. His special helper and minister was another god named Ilabrat.

Anu was one of the oldest gods in the Sumerian religion. He was part of a powerful group of three main gods, called a triad. The other two gods were Enlil, who was the god of the air, and Enki, who was the god of water.

Later, people called the Akkadians in Babylonia also worshipped him, calling him Anu. His name in ancient Greek was Uranos. The planet Uranus got its name from this Greek god.

Images for kids

  • Limestone foundation peg of Lugal-kisal-si, from Uruk, Iraq. C. 2380 BCE. Pergamon Museum

    A foundation figurine of king Lugal-kisalsi. The inscription mentions Nammu and Anu as wife and husband.

  • Part of front of Inanna temple of Kara Indasch from Uruk Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin

    Part of the front of a Babylonian temple to Ishtar in Uruk, built c. 1415 BCE, during the Kassite Period (c. 1600—1155 BCE).

  • Tablet describing goddess Inanna's battle with the mountain Ebih, Sumerian - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07117

    The original Sumerian clay tablet of Inanna and Ebih, which is currently housed in the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.

  • O.1054 color

    Ancient Mesopotamian terracotta relief showing Gilgamesh slaying the Bull of Heaven. Anu gives this bull to his daughter Ishtar in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anu para niños

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Anu Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.